Moving in with him: Making space in the bathroom

Elizabeth Mitchell is a freelance fashion and beauty writer living in Los Angeles. A graduate of New York University, she regularly contributes to The Fashion Spot, The Luxury Spot and authors the Star Style column for StyleBakery Teen. ...

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Long gone are the days of mounds of makeup and your girly beauty products scattered all over the bathroom counter. Now that you live with a guy, you actually have to be considerate of his space too, and most of all, learn to share.

Ugh, we know… it’s tough! Here’s how we divided things up in our house so everyone was as happy as a clam at high tide.

Rule #1: Clean things out

Have old clothes? Instead of tossing them in the dumpster, earn extra cash by selling them on eBay like Kenny and I do. So far, we’ve been able to buy a bistro set for our patio and are already looking forward to our next fab purchase!

Whether you’re divvying up space in the closet or bathroom, the number one thing you’ll both want to do prior to cohabitating is a massive clean out. For instance, when Kenny and I moved in together, I helped him sort through all the stuff he had in his bathroom (medicine included). There were things in there that I swear he would have brought along if I hadn’t been there to help out — things that expired years ago. Ick. Toss it.

For your makeup, medicine, beauty and skin care products especially, go through and check expiration dates, see what’s old, used up or just gross, and get rid of it, girlfriend. If you haven’t put it on in months, chances are, you’re not going to.

Rule #2: Invest in organization tools

Everything really is simpler when you’re organized, right? For the bathroom particularly, pick up some cabinet organizers to neatly arrange your things and make stuff less of a hassle to find. Cute glass cups are perfect for holding your makeup brushes, and a makeup bag is a must to prevent counter clutter. If you have to, invest in over the toilet storage or extra shelves for the bathroom. Neither will set you back too much ($100 or less) and both ideas are totally worth the investment and the arguments that won’t be had as a result. LOL.

Me personally? Being the beauty writer I am, I have a glass case stocked full of skin care products and cosmetics that I keep in our bedroom, because honestly, our bathroom would be crammed to the max if I had it in there! So hey, that’s always an idea. Or a vanity if you have the room…

Rule #3: Get creative

Living in a big city like we do, to maintain the peace, sometimes you have to get pretty creative as far as closet space goes since most apartments and town houses don’t come with much of it. That’s why, in my book, a rolling rack is never a bad idea, and wall hooks can also be very useful for hanging things such as your tank tops and jewelry.

Heavier items (like your winter coat and cardigans) take up a ton of space, so why not consider purchasing a cute coat rack to go in the corner of your room to store items such as this? If all else fails, try mounting a curtain rod lower on the wall, and use it to hang up clothes that won’t fit in your closet. There are so many fun, creative ways to make it work that we’re sure you’ll be just fine!